Finding You
by MssrBlaze
Summary: This is a prequel to RAINYNDAWNS story, BEFORE THE STORM: Amaya's life is boring and very muggle.One fateful day she goes to visit her family in Great Britain and she discovers a secret power none knew she had... OCSB, JPLE, RLOC AmayaSirius pairing
1. A Short Prologue

A/N:I know, I know. I still have two stories to finish. But my friends and I had this excellent idea. Well, I thought of this story, and they came up with the idea for a series. Anywho. I changed my pen name, and as you noticed, these stories are under a different name as well. They are all written by different people, but they follow along the same lines. Now with the story.

PRLOGUE:

Amaya was sitting on her bed the day after school let out. She knew she should be packing. Her plane left early the next morning. She would be visiting her grandma and grandpa Cole. Her favorite grandparents. They lives abroad and the only time she got to see them was on holidays and on her summer break. They had lived their for as long as she could remember. Her father had only moved here when he met her mother. She wished he would have asked her mother to move over there. She loved everything about London and all the other towns she'd visited. She found herself so excited about the trip that she was paralyzed with joy. She finally snapped back to reality and realized she'd better pack.

She had a long filght ahead of her.


	2. Chapter One

**DISCLAIMER: I am absolutely, positively, definitely, unquestionably, indisputably, indubitably, undeniably, irrefutably sure that I do not own Harry Potter. **

A/N: Ok, for anyone that is actually reading this story, well, actually I should call it a Prologue, I'm sorry that it took FOREVER and a day to update. I promise you that I did a lot of writing on it when I was away. I have a few more chapters on it and it is done. You will enjoy it. Rainyndawn loves it and reads it all the time when I add a new chapter. She is also helping me with the ending to make sure I get things right. After all, this is a Prequel. So, without further ado, here is chapter one. Also, you may notice that the date for their school is different but just ignore it. Just pretend it's that way just for the intents and purposes of this story.

Chapter one:

While on the flight, she pondered over what she might do once she arrived. Of course, she would spend time with her grandparents and do what they wanted, but they were old and could only do so much. Her number one priority after that was spending time with Remus, her cousin.

Remus was the same age as her. He went to a 'special' school for gifted young people somewhere in Britain. She didn't know much about it. She knew that his school started earlier than hers did. He started in the beginning of August, and she didn't start in America until about the 28th. That meant the she had better spend as much time with him as possible.

o0o0o0o0o

Once she reached London Airport, it was about 5:30 in the afternoon. She walked off the plane and noticed her Grandparents standing by the gate with a sign that read: 'Welcome Back, Amaya!'. It was cheesy, but thoughtful nevertheless.

She looked all around, but, to her disappointment, she didn't spot her cousin anywhere. He usually came with her grandparents to greet her when she arrived. She ran up and hugged each of her grandparents tightly.

"Hey you guys! I've missed you both so much! How are you? Anything new or exciting to tell me about? Where's Remus?" She fired off each question without pausing for breath.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Her grandpa said with a smile. "And here we thought you might have jet-lag." He teased.

"Nice to see you, too, dear." Her grandma said. They hugged again. " My! You've grown so much since the last time I saw you! You're taller than me now."

"Sorry, dear, but you aren't that tall to begin with." Her grandpa said. " An elf would easily be taller than you." He took a step away from her, but didn't quite dodge the playful blow that her grandma gave him with her handbag.

"Now, let's go. I've got a wonderful dinner planned for you. You look like they starved you on that plane," her grandma told her. Amaya took this opportunity to ask about Remus again.

"Grams? You never told me where Remus was. Didn't he want to come see me? This is practically a tradition." She said, playing hurt at the end.

Her grandma smiled. " Don't worry. You'll see him later. He had to go help one of his friends. It was...an emergency." She added, as if it were an after-thought.

"Now, if you two are done talking, let's go home. I'm really quite hungry." Her grandpa said.

"I told you to eat before we left!"

"What can I say? I wasn't hungry before we left. I'm hungry now."

"I don't care, you should of ate before we left…"

Amaya laughed at her bickering grandparents. " Alright you two," she interrupted them, "let's go."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

They pulled into her grandparents driveway at a quarter past five. Her grandparents lived in a small town outside of London in a very homey looking house. Sometimes, it surprised her how much space there was actually in this house. It wasn't large, but somehow, there was always just enough space for everyone to fit comfortably. She loved it. It was one of the best memories of her childhood, the times she'd spent here in this very house.

Out in the back yard was a brown shed used for storing things. It too, always had just enough room for everything. There was a little room in the back that her and Remus adopted as their 'clubhouse' when they were little.

After she ate a quick and very delicious dinner with her grandparents, she went to her room and began to unpack her things. The jet-lag finally caught up to her at around 2:30a.m.

0000000

Remus didn't show up until the next day. Amaya had already had her morning shower and was just sitting down and eating her breakfast ( eggs, bacon, and toast) when he walked into the kitchen, looking beat.

"Hey, cuz." She said, cheerfully. "What's up?"

He looked up surprised when he heard her speak. " Oy! Amaya! You're here!" He said. Then an apologetic look appeared on his face. " Sorry I wasn't at the airport yesterday. I was really looking forward to it, but...something came up." He said.

She smiled at him. " It's ok. At least you didn't forget about me coming. I hope your friend is ok?" She said, inquisitively. He looked surprised. He looked at his grandmother, who nodded at him slightly.

"Oh, yea. Loads better now. Thanks for asking. So, how was your flight?" He asked, seemingly making small talk.

"Fine. It was the same as normal. So, what are we going to do this summer, Rem? It's been so long since we got to hang out. Hopefully you planned some things?" She said. He looked at his feet.

"About that, I have something to tell you." He said. "See, my friends, well, they invited me to come spend the summer with them. And, before I remembered about you coming, I told them yes. Please don't get upset with me." He looked at her with pleading eyes.

She looked at her cousin in shock for a minute. He actually forgot about her coming? This was the one thing she had been looking forward to all year! And he could just forget? Were his friends really that important to him? Then she remembered that he used to have trouble finding friends...

"I'm not mad. It's alright. I'll find something to do. I'm a big girl after all." She said, lying through her teeth. His face lit up.

"Well, I don't leave until tomorrow morning. And I will be back the night before we have to go to the train station. You can see me off still."

"Ok. Well, what do you want to do in the mean time?" She asked him. They spent the remainder of the day spending time together. Packing and talking about Remus' friends so much that when the next morning arrived, she was just about as anxious as he was to see them.

It was noon on Saturday when James and Sirius finally arrived. They were late. They told Remus that they would be there at ten a.m. sharp; Remus was a big stickler for punctuality.

"Oy! Moony! How're you, mate. Been so long since I saw you. Twenty-four hours can do so much to a man..." The one with dark untidy hair and glasses said when they finally showed up. He gathered his friend into a tight hug.

"Moony?" She asked him, when her curiosity about the name got the best of her. She laughed when it appeared that the two boys had just noticed her.

"And whose this lovely lady? Did you get a girlfriend and not tell us, Moony?" The really quite handsome one with shaggy, black hair said, faking a hurt look.

"Hardly. She's my cousin from America. Boy's, this is Amaya. Amaya, these, well, this is James." He pointed to the one with the glasses." And this is Sirius." He pointed to the one with the hair.

"Hi." James said.

"Hello." Sirius said. "Tell me again, Moony, why can't we stay here instead of at James'?

"Oy! Padfoot! Incase you have forgotten, we have plans to work on." James said and gave Sirius a look that clearly stated ' Don't even think about backing out'.

Sirius looked at her for a second. She caught his eyes. They were wonderful, and, strangely, they were dark. Almost black. They continued to hold their gaze until Remus broke them up.

"Ok, now, if you don't mind, would you please stop ogling my cousin. We have to go, Pads." he joked.

"I wasn't ogling! I was making a mental picture! Honestly, you'd think you could tell the difference by now!"

"Wow, Padfoot. You must have one hell of a mental picture book." James said. "Considering how many mental pictures you've taken." Sirius slugged him on the arm. James just laughed.

"Well, if you're ready. Bye Amaya." Remus said, hugging her. "See you soon"

Then Sirius hugged her. " Yeah, bye Amaya." Remus shook his head and smiled. " Come on you dog."

"Nice meeting you." James said, politely.

"You, too." She replied.

"Very nice, you mean, Prongsie. She certainly gives a certain red-head you know a run for her money, right?" Sirius quipped. James ignored him, but Amaya saw his face turn red. The boys hurried outside to what she could only assume was James' parent's car.

She waved goodbye to them enthusiastically as the car rounded the corner though she was a little sad to see them leave.

A/N: Ok, for anyone that is actually reading this story, well, actually I should call it a Prologue, I'm sorry that it took FOREVER and a day to update. I promise you that I did a lot of writing on it when I was away. I have a few more chapters on it and it is done. You will enjoy it. Rainyndawn loves it and reads it all the time when I add a new chapter. She is also helping me with the ending to make sure I get things right. After all, this is a Prequel. So, without further ado, here is chapter one.

Chapter one:

While on the flight, she pondered over what she might do once she arrived. Of course, she would spend time with her grandparents and do what they wanted, but they were old and could only do so much. Her number one priority after that was spending time with Remus, her cousin.

Remus was the same age as her. He went to a 'special' school for gifted young people somewhere in Britain. She didn't know much about it. She knew that his school started earlier than hers did. He started in the beginning of August, and she didn't start in America until about the 28th. That meant the she had better spend as much time with him as possible.

o0o0o0o0o

Once she reached London Airport, it was about 5:30 in the afternoon. She walked off the plane and noticed her Grandparents standing by the gate with a sign that read: 'Welcome Back, Amaya!'. It was cheesy, but thoughtful nevertheless.

She looked all around, but, to her disappointment, she didn't spot her cousin anywhere. He usually came with her grandparents to greet her when she arrived. She ran up and hugged each of her grandparents tightly.

"Hey you guys! I've missed you both so much! How are you? Anything new or exciting to tell me about? Where's Remus?" She fired off each question without pausing for breath.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Her grandpa said with a smile. "And here we thought you might have jet-lag." He teased.

"Nice to see you, too, dear." Her grandma said. They hugged again. " My! You've grown so much since the last time I saw you! You're taller than me now."

"Sorry, dear, but you aren't that tall to begin with." Her grandpa said. " An elf would easily be taller than you." He took a step away from her, but didn't quite dodge the playful blow that her grandma gave him with her handbag.

"Now, let's go. I've got a wonderful dinner planned for you. You look like they starved you on that plane," her grandma told her. Amaya took this opportunity to ask about Remus again.

"Grams? You never told me where Remus was. Didn't he want to come see me? This is practically a tradition." She said, playing hurt at the end.

Her grandma smiled. " Don't worry. You'll see him later. He had to go help one of his friends. It was...an emergency." She added, as if it were an after-thought.

"Now, if you two are done talking, let's go home. I'm really quite hungry." Her grandpa said.

"I told you to eat before we left!"

"What can I say? I wasn't hungry before we left. I'm hungry now."

"I don't care, you should of ate before we left…"

Amaya laughed at her bickering grandparents. " Alright you two," she interrupted them, "let's go."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

They pulled into her grandparents driveway at a quarter past five. Her grandparents lived in a small town outside of London in a very homey looking house. Sometimes, it surprised her how much space there was actually in this house. It wasn't large, but somehow, there was always just enough space for everyone to fit comfortably. She loved it. It was one of the best memories of her childhood, the times she'd spent here in this very house.

Out in the back yard was a brown shed used for storing things. It too, always had just enough room for everything. There was a little room in the back that her and Remus adopted as their 'clubhouse' when they were little.

After she ate a quick and very delicious dinner with her grandparents, she went to her room and began to unpack her things. The jet-lag finally caught up to her at around 2:30a.m.

0000000

Remus didn't show up until the next day. Amaya had already had her morning shower and was just sitting down and eating her breakfast ( eggs, bacon, and toast) when he walked into the kitchen, looking beat.

"Hey, cuz." She said, cheerfully. "What's up?"

He looked up surprised when he heard her speak. " Oy! Amaya! You're here!" He said. Then an apologetic look appeared on his face. " Sorry I wasn't at the airport yesterday. I was really looking forward to it, but...something came up." He said.

She smiled at him. " It's ok. At least you didn't forget about me coming. I hope your friend is ok?" She said, inquisitively. He looked surprised. He looked at his grandmother, who nodded at him slightly.

"Oh, yea. Loads better now. Thanks for asking. So, how was your flight?" He asked, seemingly making small talk.

"Fine. It was the same as normal. So, what are we going to do this summer, Rem? It's been so long since we got to hang out. Hopefully you planned some things?" She said. He looked at his feet.

"About that, I have something to tell you." He said. "See, my friends, well, they invited me to come spend the summer with them. And, before I remembered about you coming, I told them yes. Please don't get upset with me." He looked at her with pleading eyes.

She looked at her cousin in shock for a minute. He actually forgot about her coming? This was the one thing she had been looking forward to all year! And he could just forget? Were his friends really that important to him? Then she remembered that he used to have trouble finding friends...

"I'm not mad. It's alright. I'll find something to do. I'm a big girl after all." She said, lying through her teeth. His face lit up.

"Well, I don't leave until tomorrow morning. And I will be back the night before we have to go to the train station. You can see me off still."

"Ok. Well, what do you want to do in the mean time?" She asked him. They spent the remainder of the day spending time together. Packing and talking about Remus' friends so much that when the next morning arrived, she was just about as anxious as he was to see them.

It was noon on Saturday when James and Sirius finally arrived. They were late. They told Remus that they would be there at ten a.m. sharp; Remus was a big stickler for punctuality.

"Oy! Moony! How're you, mate. Been so long since I saw you. Twenty-four hours can do so much to a man..." The one with dark untidy hair and glasses said when they finally showed up. He gathered his friend into a tight hug.

"Moony?" She asked him, when her curiosity about the name got the best of her. She laughed when it appeared that the two boys had just noticed her.

"And whose this lovely lady? Did you get a girlfriend and not tell us, Moony?" The really quite handsome one with shaggy, black hair said, faking a hurt look.

"Hardly. She's my cousin from America. Boy's, this is Amaya. Amaya, these, well, this is James." He pointed to the one with the glasses." And this is Sirius." He pointed to the one with the hair.

"Hi." James said.

"Hello." Sirius said. "Tell me again, Moony, why can't we stay here instead of at James'?

"Oy! Padfoot! Incase you have forgotten, we have plans to work on." James said and gave Sirius a look that clearly stated ' Don't even think about backing out'.

Sirius looked at her for a second. She caught his eyes. They were wonderful, and, strangely, they were dark. Almost black. They continued to hold their gaze until Remus broke them up.

"Ok, now, if you don't mind, would you please stop ogling my cousin. We have to go, Pads." he joked.

"I wasn't ogling! I was making a mental picture! Honestly, you'd think you could tell the difference by now!"

"Wow, Padfoot. You must have one hell of a mental picture book." James said. "Considering how many mental pictures you've taken." Sirius slugged him on the arm. James just laughed.

"Well, if you're ready. Bye Amaya." Remus said, hugging her. "See you soon"

Then Sirius hugged her. " Yeah, bye Amaya." Remus shook his head and smiled. " Come on you dog."

"Nice meeting you." James said, politely.

"You, too." She replied.

"Very nice, you mean, Prongsie. She certainly gives a certain red-head you know a run for her money, right?" Sirius quipped. James ignored him, but Amaya saw his face turn red. The boys hurried outside to what she could only assume was James' parent's car.

She waved goodbye to them enthusiastically as the car rounded the corner though she was a little sad to see them leave.


	3. Chapter Two

**DISCLAIMER: I am absolutely, positively, definitely, unquestionably, indisputably, indubitably, undeniably, irrefutably sure that I do not own Harry Potter. **

Chapter Two:

The next month seemed to fly by. It was fun, though she greatly missed Remus. She got to spend quality time with her grandparents.

The day of Remus' arrival came sooner than she had originally expected it too. He would be home for a day and then she would be seeing him off for his 'special' school the very next day.

Remus arrived home late that night, so they didn't get a chance to spend any time together before he would have to leave. Amaya was a little disappointed though she kept a pleasant smile on her face so as not to bring Remus' happy mood down.

They arrived at the train station early the next morning. Children could be seen coming and going every which way. Amaya was reminded of the hectic subway system she had experienced on a trip to New York.

They reached platform 10 and she wondered why Remus wasn't getting on the train.

"I've just realized I've forgot my book in the car!" he said, his eyes looking anywhere but at her. "I'll be right back."

It ended up just being the two of them because her grandpa was sick and her grams was staying with him. Amaya glanced at him suspiciously but just said, "okay."

While he went off, Amaya walked to a spot between Platforms 9 and 10 and leaned up against the brick wall. What happened next surprised and scared her.

She began to fall and the next thing she knew, she was in a whole different place. She looked around. There were children of many ages all around her. There was a train and a sign that read 'Hogwarts Express.'

She looked around the platform filled with teenagers and their parents all bearing similar luggage to Remus', some even had odd pets on their trolley's. She was hoping to catch a glimpse of Remus but she didn't see him. She did, however, spot James.

"Hey! Er…James!" She yelled. He didn't pay her any attention. Then she remembered what Sirius had called him that day in her grandparent's home.

"PRONGS!" She bellowed. This time he looked at her. When he saw her, he looked surprised. He slowly walked towards her, looking at her weirdly.

"Where in the sam hell am I? And how did I get here?" she asked him. Just then, Remus came through the same 'wall' she had just fell through.

"Hey!" He said as he noticed her. "There you are." He looked worried.

"How'd she manage that?" James asked Remus.

"I don't know. Muggles can't usually pass through the barrier." Remus replied.

By now she was very confused and was barely following them. All those weird words just baffled her even more than the fact that she fell through an apparently solid 'wall.'

"Huh? Will someone please tell me what's going on!" she yelled, finally drawing the two's attention to her. But before either could answer her, a loud and shrill whistle emitted from the large red train.

"Whoa. Better get on the train before it leaves without us. Let's take her to Dumbledore. He'll know what to do," James suggested, grabbing up his stuff.

James handed Amaya a cage with a large black owl in it with large amber eyes. "Will you carry her for me?"

"Her?" Amaya asked, glancing at the owl who was in return watching her.

"Yeah, her name is Chiara. My mum got it for me when I first got accepted to Hogwarts." James grinned. "I think she thought I wouldn't write otherwise."

"Would you of?" Amaya teased.

"In due time."

"James is a busy guy," Remus said, rolling his eyes. "Okay. Let's go. Come on Amaya. We'll take you to my headmaster, Albus Dumbledore."

Reluctantly, Amaya followed the two boys as they made their way through the throng of teenagers to board the train. She was beginning to feel an intense headache.

When they boarded the train, the group composed of Amaya, Remus, and James headed to a compartment clear at the back of the train. When they entered, she saw Sirius there waiting for James and Remus.

"Hey guys," he said, not looking up from his cards he was playing with. "Hey!" he said when he finally did and caught sight of Amaya standing there. "What's she doing ere? Thought you said she was a muggle," he said to Remus, an accusatory glint in his eye.

"She is," Remus said at once and then paused, "…I think."

"What do you mean you think?" Sirius asked heatedly. "You told me that I shouldn't waste my time asking her out cause she was a muggle and now she's here!"

"I thought she was one," Remus retorted.

"You know," Amaya said finally, her temper beginning to rise, "I'm right here. There is no reason for you guys to talk about me as if I'm not here."

"Sorry," both boys muttered.

"Anyways," Remus continued, "she fell through the barrier and we've, me and James I mean, to take her to Dumbledore," Remus concluded.

"Ummm…what's a muggle?" Amaya finally asked the one thing that kept nagging her. They kept calling her one and she wanted to know whether it was an insult or not.

The three shared a look.

"Should we tell her or leave it to Dumbledore?" James voiced.

"I think we should leave it to the Professor," Sirius said.

They all three nodded. "To the Headmaster," they all said in unison and laughed.

Amaya laughed too, despite her predicament. The rest of the journey flew as they conversed over what the three boys had done over the summer, though Amaya still wondered at the boys' earlier words and what this Dumbledore would tell her when she finally met him. Never would she have expected the news Dumbledore was about to give her.


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…I don't even own a hairbrush now! Somebody broke it… :'( But I'll be fine…I am strong…I can overcome this…!**

**A/N: **I have almost finished this story! YaY for me! Writing it I mean, not typing…

Chapter Three:

By the time the train came to a stop, the sky had grown completely dark. Stars were shining like she'd never seen before, and there was a somewhat familiar air about the place.

As they exited the train, Sirius and Remus directed her toward some carriages that were pulled by…well; she couldn't exactly tell what they were pulled by. Must be the lack of light, she told herself. She climbed into the carriage and didn't even bother to ask Remus or Sirius. When she sat down, she looked at her cousin and noticed that he looked strangely different than he had a minute ago, as did Sirius.

"What are you two wearing?" She asked curiously. They looked like the sort of things that girls might wear over a prom dress or some other sort of formal wear.

Remus looked down at himself. "Oh, these? Well, they are part of our school uniform. They are called robes. Every wiz- I mean student has to wear them." Sirius nodded his agreement.

"But they are dreadfully restricting and you can't see a girl's proper form in them for nothing. I think they are intended to make us practice abstinence." Sirius said, then added, "But they just make me all the more curious."

She smiled in spite of herself at his rude, but charming nonetheless, antics. "Well, they're cute, I suppose."

Sirius lost his smirk. "Cute? Penguins are cute. Men," He said, motioning to himself and Remus, "Are supposed to be handsome. There is a difference, you know."

Amaya laughed. "What handsome men you are." She said. Just then, James entered the carriage with a faraway look in his eyes.

Sirius grabbed his arm and pulled him down beside himself in order to prevent him from sitting on Amaya. "Oy! What's gotten into you, Prongs?" He demanded.

James didn't answer and instead kept staring into space ahead of him. A look of apprehension appeared on Sirius' face. "Ah, seen Ms. Evans again, haven't we, Prongsie ol' buddy. Come on, then, tell us what she said."

James smiled a lopsided smile. "She…she called me an arrogant git…" He said, seeming happy by the insult.

Amaya stared at him confused. "Um, I know I'm not from around here, but, from what I've gathered, I thought that an arrogant git would be on insult, not a compliment." She said.

"Oh, it is." Sirius said simply.

Remus smiled at her still utterly confused expression. "Compared to what she normally says to him, which is nothing, that is a huge step in the right direction."

Amaya smiled. "Then he must really like her, for that to make him this happy."

James looked at her sharply, and then his face softened. "I don't like her. She is the love of my life. I am going to marry her one day, and then we will have kids together and be happy for the rest of our lives." He said.

Amaya was speechless. Very rarely had she ever heard of a boy wanting to be married and have children. Most of the American boys she knew were only into relationships for the cheap rides that some lonely girls often granted them. Nothing more. "Well then, good luck." She said sincerely.

He smiled. "Thank You. That is more than I get from these two."

"Oh, calm down, Prongs. We just give you a hard time because we love ya so much, is all." Sirius said.

"I'll bet."

"Hey Amaya, you might want to look out of the window if you want to get the first glimpse of Hogwarts." Remus said.

Amaya pushed the moth eaten curtain out of her way and peered out of the window. What she saw took her breath away almost immediately. A few hundred feet in the distance across a huge lake stood a monstrous castle towering high above the cliffs that surrounded it. There were lights in every window, even the tallest tower was illuminated beautifully. Looking at the lake, she saw lights amongst the many boats that were crossing the water. Those, mixed with the reflection of the castle itself caused a magnificent glittering effect that she had the strongest desire to get a picture of. Sitting back in her seat, she slowly inhaled.

"Wow. That's where you guys go to school?" She asked. They nodded.

Sirius leaned in towards Remus and whispered, "If she can see the castle, doesn't that mean that she's a wi-" He was cut off by Remus shushing him.

"Quite possibly, but their really is only one way to find out for sure." He said as the carriage came to a stop and climbed out. Sirius exited right behind him, followed by a rushing James.

"Watch out! I've got to go see Evans. Thank Merlin I was made Head Boy and her Head Girl! This year is going to be glorious." He said.

"Yeah, how you managed that one still baffles me." Sirius said, offering his arm to Amaya to help her out of the carriage.

"Thank You." She said. Their eye's locked and for a minute it looked as if he was going to say something else, but instead he let go of her hand quickly and stood beside Remus.

"Well, now that James has rushed off, let's go and see Professor Dumbledore, shall we?" He asked.

Amaya nodded. "Sure. Anything to figure out what the hell is going on."

Sirius smiled at her choice of words, but deep in his mind he hoped that something would go wrong, that she would have to stay longer for some reason.

As they approached the castle, Amaya made a mental note that it looked even larger up close, if that were possible. When they entered, she saw a giant hall, filled with pictures. The pictures she had to do a double take on. At first she thought that she might just be hallucinating, but on her further inspections, she noticed that they were in fact moving.

"Remus, why..?" She began, but stopped when they approached the stairs. She looked up into a seemingly never-ending ceiling to find that the staircases were moving as well. It was as if some force…magic or something like that were moving them. Clutching Remus's arm, they began their trek up the steps. When they got to about the third floor, they turned right and went down a long hallway until they approached a statue of a gargoyle, or at least that's what it resembled to her.

"Well, shall you do the honors of saying the password, Pads, or shall I?" Remus asked. Sirius shook his head.

"You go ahead. I can't think of any other sweet he hasn't used. You're the sweet lover here anyway, go ahead."

Remus nodded, and put his hand on his chin as he brainstormed. "Umm…Cockroach Cluster? No, umm…Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans? No again…ummm…Lemon Drops?" He said. Amaya leapt backwards as the stone statue came to life and jumped aside, allowing them entrance into a spinning spiral staircase.

"There we go. Third time is always the charm." Remus said as they entered the staircase. When they all stepped on, the staircase began spinning, taking them to the room at the top with no strenuous activity involved on their part.

"What was that last one you said? The one that worked?" Sirius asked. "I didn't recognize it."

Remus smiled. "That's because it's a muggle sweet, my dear friend, and considering that you're pure-blood, well, it's obvious that you wouldn't know."

Sirius nodded. "Oh."

Suddenly the spiral staircase came to a stop in front of a large door with a knocker in the shape of a gargoyle as well, although this one seemed far less…ugly…than the one at the beginning of the stairs. Remus stepped forward and knocked lightly.

A voice on the other side of the door called, "Come in," Just as softly as if they were standing right in front of the source. Remus twisted the door knob and they all filed in one by one, with Remus in the lead and Sirius bringing up the rear.

The room on the other side of the door was vast in its own way, yet small in others. If the room were perhaps cleaned up a bit and not littered with various unrecognizable trinkets on every available surface, then it might be as large as, say, a muggle living room or dining area. As it was, the space seemed only as big as a larger bathroom.

"Ah. Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black. I was expecting you. Who is this lovely young lady accompanying you, though? I can't say that I recognize her." An older man with a long, white beard that intertwined with his hair and half moon glasses said. Noticing her confusion, the old man spoke again. "You must forgive me, Miss, for not introducing myself properly. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And yes, you heard me correctly." He said with a wink.

Remus stepped forward. "This is my cousin, Amaya Cole. I don't know how, but while we were at Kings Cross, she somehow fell through the barrier. Well, once we got through, we figured that, after a shock like that, that it would be best to bring her to you for an explanation."

Dumbledore nodded. "Which was a smart decision indeed, Mr. Lupin. Ms. Cole, if you should have a seat, then I would be pleased to inform you of what has taken place." He pulled a stick out of his pocket, waved it around some, and three chairs appeared right behind them, taking up and space that had remained in the room. Amaya sat, as did Remus and Sirius.

"Now. The best place to start is, as always, at the beginning. You see, your father, as you know, was from London. He attended school here, at Hogwarts. What you may not know is that he was, and still is as you can't just quit being, a wizard. Before you ask any questions, I beg you to let me continue." He said as she began to open her mouth to say something. She nodded at his request. "Very well. After your father met your mother, around the time of your birth, there were…rumors…of terrible things that were supposed to befall the wizarding world. Rumors of a man, a wizard, so evil that he would take over the world by force, and murdering innocent people would not be something that would be last on his list. These rumors unsettled your mother so much that she begged your father to take you away from everything. To protect you at all costs, even if that meant denying you your true calling. You see, you are a witch as well, Amaya. Just like your father, you have strong powers that cannot be contained or pretended that they don't exist. They have been there all along, begging for a chance to make themselves known. And that they did. For it takes a little magic in it's self to get through that barrier at Kings Cross, and as such, no muggle could have accomplished it. In equal respects, it takes magic to be able to see Hogwarts itself. There is a charm, a very powerful one, guarding the school from prying muggle eyes. A muggle would look upon the school and see ruins, as you would look and see a grand castle. So that, I believe, sums up my explanation. Feel free, now, to ask your questions." He finished.

Amaya just sat there in silence. To think that she was a witch, a magical being that existed only in fairy tales…well, it was a lot to take in. Seeing her overwhelmed look, Dumbledore spoke again.

"I know, Ms. Cole, that it is a lot to take in. But these things were kept from you for your own good, I assure you."

She smiled. It was the only thing she could do. After all, she couldn't be dreaming, as Remus was here with her as well. He wasn't saying anything so she knew that all of these things must be true. She just had to except it. She was, no matter how unbelievable it may be to her, a witch. "Ok. So know what?" She asked.

"Now, I must place something else on your shoulders. A proposition, if you will." Dumbledore said.

"Go on."

"You have a choice. Mind you, it will be difficult, but I am offering you a place here, as a student of magic, if you want it. However, keep in mind that you are seven years behind those of your age, so if you decide to undertake this, it will not be an easy task."

All sets of eyes in the room were on Amaya. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and as if she needed to lie down. As if reading her mind, Dumbledore smiled.

"Alas, it is late. And you have taken a long journey and have had a lot of pressure put on your shoulders for one night. You may stay in the

Head Girls room with Lily Evans for the night. She should be a very welcome person to you. Also she is muggle born and should be able to accommodate you well. In the morning, we shall discuss your decision. Now, off with you! Remus, Sirius, can I trust you to take her to the Head's rooms?"

Remus nodded, as did Sirius. They all stood and exited the room the same that they entered down the spiral staircase. When they stepped into the hallway, Remus let out a breath that Amaya guessed he had been holding all through Dumbledore's speech.

"Whew! I'm glad that went well. So, I'm not the only magical one in the family anymore. What a relief." He said. They walked down the hallway and turned left at the end.

"You never were the only one according to that speech." Sirius said. He had an oddly satisfied look on his face.

"Amaya, what do you think?" Remus asked her as they approached the end of another hall and turned right this time.

Amaya looked at him. "I think, that it is a lot of stuff to take in on one night, and that I am going to send a very angry letter to mom and dad in the morning." She said.

Sirius looked at her wide eyed. "You are staying, though, aren't you?" He asked.

They stopped in front of a portrait of a very fat man. Amaya looked at him amusedly. "Of course. My cousin's not the only one who likes an adventure every now and then." Sirius just stared at her, mouth gaping.

The picture of the fat man opened, revealing a red- haired girl and a large room behind her. "Remus, Sirius." She said, acknowledging both of the boys in turn. Looking at Amaya, she said, "And this must be Amaya. Dumbledore just informed me of the situation." She said, smiling. She led the way into the room, where Amaya was surprised to see James sitting on a large sofa in the middle of the room.

"Amaya, Remus, Sirius! How wonderful to see you! And so late at night." He said. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well it's not like it was a surprise. You heard Dumbledore say they were coming."

James blushed. "Ok Evans. Just trying to be a good host. After all, this is our lovely little abode, now isn't it?" He said in a sweet voice.

"Not as if I had a choice." Lily said under her breath. Amaya chuckled. It was clear to her that Lily obviously didn't share the same passion for James as he did for her. She did feel sorry for James though. After all, he did plan out his whole life for this one girl. "Anyway. I'll fetch you some clothes that you came sleep in. I hope you don't mind that we head straight to bed. I've got lots of things to do tomorrow, what with being Head Girl and all."

Amaya shook her head. "Not at all. I am exhausted." So after saying a quick goodnight to Remus, and an awkward on to Sirius, she changed into the clothes Lily provided for her and went to bed. All night dreams of witches and wizards from TV shows she had watched played in her head.


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP. I do, however, own Amaya. ;)**

**Chapter Four:**

Amaya opened her eyes and took in her unfamiliar surroundings. The room was done in scarlet and gold from the floor to the ceiling. Even the ceiling itself, she noticed, was colored a deep red. Taking in a deep breath, she stood up and stretched. Looking at the huge bed in the corner of the room, Amaya noticed that her roommate was already gone.

She waked over to her clothes to get dressed and she noticed a note on top of a stack of robes.

_Amaya, _

_Sorry I had to leave before you woke up. There was a fight between a Slytherin first year and a Gryffindor and James was so 'tired' that he couldn't take care of it alone, so that left me to help him. Here's some clothes and robes of mine you can wear since I'm sure that you do not wish to wear your dirty clothes. _

_Dumbledore wishes to see you in his office when you wake up. Either Remus or Sirius should be waiting for you in the sitting room. Have fun!_

_Lily Evans, Head Girl_

Amaya put the note down and picked up the robes. Examining them, she saw that they bore the HG that she assumed stood for head girl. Putting on the simple pair of jeans and t-shirt that Lily had provided, she shoved the robes over her head and quickly got herself cleaned up before going out into the sitting room. Upon entering, she saw Sirius sitting slumped over in a chair beside the enormous fireplace (that isn't lit as it's summertime). Actually, she heard him a fraction of a second before she even saw him. He was deep asleep and drooling all over the arm of the chair. Clearing her throat rather loudly, she waited as Sirius jumped up, wiped the drool from his chin, and looked at her rather confused for a minute before regaining his composure.

"Ah, there you are. I see that Lily gave you some robes to wear. I have to say, though, that you look better in them than she does." he said, looking her over.

All Amaya could do was smile as a blush crept up and onto her face.

"Well, we have to go meet Remus in the Great Hall for breakfast, and then go see Professor Dumbledore. Are you hungry?" Sirius asked her, clearly trying to change the subject of what she looked like in robes.

Amaya nodded.

"Right, then. Follow me, if you will, and I will take you to a place where you will receive a breakfast like no other breakfast you've ever had in your life. Courtesy of the Hogwarts House Elves." He said, ushering her out the door and into the massive hallway.

Amaya followed him down a long string of hallways and a couple of flights of stairs until they entered the Entrance Hall. It was the only place she recognized from the night before. They entered a massive doorway off the left and she was shocked by the sight she saw.

There were four tables sectioned out in the giant room, all of them filled with students and the table tops were covered with food. Spotting Remus waving to them from a table second from the right, they hurried over to take the seats he had saved for them. In front of Remus there were two already emptied plates and a third that looked as if it had just been started on.

"Wow, Moony. I know you said that you couldn't wait on Amaya because you were starving, but I didn't think you meant it literally." Sirius commented, seeing his friends' many plates.

Remus blushed. "What can I say? I am a growing man." He said, taking a bite off of a slice of bacon he held in his hand. "So, how was your night?" He asked Amaya, who was excitedly filling her plate with food.

She smiled. "Great. I slept very well, you know, for being in a strange place and all." She picked up a piece of sausage and shoved it into her mouth. She then began piling pancakes onto her plate, covering them with butter, and them smothering them in syrup. She was so enraptured in her task that she didn't notice the many stares she was receiving from the students surrounding her.

"Umm, Amaya?" Sirius said, his own plate covered in the very same thing as hers, mountains of pancakes.

She looked up at him between mouthfuls. "Hmm?" She managed.

He smiled. "You seem to have an audience. I don't think that we're quite used to seeing a woman with your appetite. Normally they're all on a diet of some sorts." He said with admiration.

"She can eat anything she wants and not gain an ounce. It's been a gift of hers forever." Remus said, finishing of his third plate and pushing it away. "Quite similar to you, actually."

Sirius smiled inwardly. He liked the fact that this girl shared his passion for food.

Amaya looked at the students staring at her. "What are you looking at?" She said, finally, after finishing her last bite. All of the students shook their heads and went back to their conversations and to their own breakfast's. All of them except two people.

"Well, I'd say that you found your soul mate, Sirius. Who is she, then?" A man with dark hair said. Their was a girl with brown hair sitting next to him, holding his hand. She smiled pleasantly at Amaya, who smiled back.

Sirius blushed and nearly spat out his food at the bluntness of the comment. "She's not my girlfriend, Frank. However, thank you for suggesting that such a beautiful woman would be interested in the likes of me." He said with a smirk in her direction. Frank turned to her and stuck out his hand.

"The names Frank Longbottom. And this is my fiancée, Alice." The girl smiled as Amaya released Franks hand and reached over and shook hers.

"Amaya Cole." Amaya said.

"Oh? Are you new here? I don't remember seeing you before." Alice said. As Amaya was going to go into an explanation, Remus spoke.

"She is new here from America. Just arrived last night, actually. She's my cousin, you see."

Amaya smiled in confirmation. Alice and Frank both smiled at her. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Amaya." Frank said, before he and Alice turned and continued to eat their breakfast.

As Sirius finished, he turned to Amaya and Remus, who were talking about classes as Remus was trying to explain to her what was on his schedule. "Well, I'm done. Ready to go see Dumbledore?" He asked. Amaya ignored him.

"So History of Magic tells of magic from the beginning? Everything?" She asked. Remus nodded.

"Yes and it's rather boring." He said. "For now, though, let's go see Dumbledore and we'll talk about my classes later." Sirius stared at him.

"I just said that, Moony."

"You did?" Remus asked innocently.

"Yes. And you both ignored me." He said, pretending to pout. Amaya looked at him.

"Aww. Poor Padfoot." She said, patting him on the head. "Come on. We'll not ignore you anymore, we swear."

They all stood up, Sirius staring at Amaya in shock. Remus guessed it was either because she used his nickname, or that she patted him like a dog. The latter would have been ironic, considering that she didn't know about their little 'secrets'.

Sirius and Remus trailed behind Amaya as she admired all of the portraits on the way to Dumbledore's office.

"What do you suppose she meant by that, Moony?" Sirius asked nervously.

Remus smiled. "I don't think she meant anything by it, Padfoot ol' buddy." He said. He wanted to add that he thought it was just innocent flirting, but decided against it. The longer he kept Sirius from dating her, the better, although he knew it would happen eventually. No girl he had ever met could resist Sirius Black, and he doubted that his cousin could either.

"Ok then. As long as you're not worried." He said, and hurried ahead and put his arm around Amaya. Remus saw him pointing and heard him giving description's of various paintings on the walls. He couldn't help but laugh to himself as they approached Dumbledore's office.

"Ahh. Miss. Cole. I hurried my breakfast in hopes of seeing you this morning. I see that Miss. Evans gave you my message, and that she supplied you with clothes." His blue eyes twinkled behind his glasses.

Amaya smiled at him. "Yes, she was very accommodating to me, thank you." She said. He nodded his head and motioned for them all to sit down.

"Now," he said as they did so, " There is something I must insist that you do before you can begin attending classes. You see, here at Hogwarts, there are four houses…" He said and went into great detail of the four founders and the houses of Hogwarts.

When he finished, Amaya knew just what house she wanted to be in. She was excited as Dumbledore brought down a tattered looking hat and placed it on her head, explaining to her what it was as he went.

"Now, the sorting hat will place you in to the proper house." he said.

Amaya's world went dark as the sorting hat covered her eyes and blocked out all light. She heard a voice in her head that caused her to jump.

" I was wondering when I would see another Cole in Hogwarts." The hat said. Amaya smiled. "But you are rather late, I dare say. Already old enough for your final year! However, if Albus has confidence…then all I can do is place you in the house in which I feel you will be the strongest…Gryffindor!" The house said, now loud enough for the rest of them to hear, but not shouting as it normally would have. Taking the hat off of her head and handing it back to Dumbledore, she turned around to be greeted by the smiling faces of Remus and Sirius.

"What?" She asked.

"We're in Gryffindor." Remus said. "Congratulations." He said, hugging her.

"Yes, congratulations. Couldn't have been put into a better house, I think." Sirius said.

Dumbledore smiled at them all. "Yes, congratulations. Gryffindor is an outstanding house led by our transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall. She'll be delighted to have you." He said. "Now, here's your schedule, and, off to class with you." He said, ushering them to the door.

Before they exited, Remus spoke up. "Um, sorry Professor, but doesn't she need a wand? And books and all that?" He asked.

"Oh! I had almost forgotten. Thank You, Mr. Lupin. I'm afraid I'm losing it in my old age." He said, and went to his desk and produced a stack of books, and a long and slender box. "Here are the books you'll need, and this.." he said, taking a long stick similar to the one she had seen him use the night before.., " is your wand. It has been in my possession ever since you were little. Your parents had it specially made for you before you were born. They asked me to keep it safe when they fled to America." He handed Amaya the wand and she took it from him very carefully. She looked it over and noticed symbols on the handle that she didn't recognize. Their were also a number of intricate designs all over the length of it. It was beautiful.

She glanced at Remus who was looking at her wand wide eyed, and to Sirius, who was, oddly enough, staring directly into her eyes. After a moment, she looked away and back to Dumbledore.

"Thank You, Professor. Um, Did you talk to my parents?" She asked. The old man smiled and nodded.

"Yes, and they sent you a letter." He said, plucking the folded piece of paper from his front pocket. She took it gratefully.

Ripping open the ridiculous wax seal they had put on it, she read;

_Dearest Amaya,_

_Your father and I understand that you have every right to be angry with us. After all, this information is very important, it is a part of who you are that you , nor we, can deny. But the truth of the matter is that there were…rumors, and terrible one's at that, of a dark wizard that would attempt to take over the whole of the muggle and wizarding worlds. We didn't want you involved in that, so we fled with you in the hopes that the wizard would be defeated before he reached America. As he is in existence today, and you are in the heart of his operation in Europe, your father and I beg of you to be careful. We only ever sent you to stay with your grandparents knowing that they were powerful wizards who would protect you at all costs._

_Our dear friend Albus owled us last night and told us of the situation. We wanted you to know that we support any decision you make. Actually, we encourage you to attend school at Hogwarts. You will love it, we are sure. Also, there is…something else that your father needs to discuss with you, so we will be coming to spend Christmas with you, and he will tell you then._

_Until then, be careful, stick close to Remus, and listen to anything Albus says._

_Love, _

_Mom and Dad_

Amaya put the letter down with tears in her eyes. She hadn't realized before hand how much she would miss them. And all of these wizard phrases, such as owled, and muggles seemed very foreign when said from them. She had no prior knowledge that they even knew of witches and wizards, so it wasn't a surprise that it should came as a complete shock to her.

Remus walked up and put his arm around her. She shrugged off his arms as she wiped away her tears. "I'm alright, thanks." She sat back down in the chair and glanced at Sirius. He was looking at her with concern. She smiled at him faintly and turned back to Dumbledore as he began to speak again.

"Alright, you may go if you wish. I assume your schedule will be the same as Remus's. You shall do fine." He said, turning around and fidgeting with some trinket on the wall. They took this as their cue that he was done speaking, and they left the office.

"Alright, you lot! Break it up!" James yelled, pushing his way to the front of the crowd that was surrounding the Gryffindor and Slytherin that were fighting. Walking up to them, he pulled them apart, being a little more rough on the Slytherin.

"Potter! Be easy with them, they're only first years!" Lily said, as she approached the scene and noticed him holding onto the Slytherins collar.

James rolled his eyes. "Oh, calm down, Evans. I'm not hurting them anymore than they were themselves." He said, releasing the boy's collars and grabbing they're arms tightly. Walking over to where she was facing them, Lily began questioning the boys.

"Alright. Tell me, what was that about?" She said, the look on her face saying that the excuse better be a pretty good one.

The Slytherin turned his head as if he were too good to speak. The Gryffindor looked at her proudly in the eyes. "He said…horrible things to that girl, there." He said, pointing to a small girl with blonde hair standing amongst the crowd.

"Is that true?" she asked the Slytherin boy. He continued to ignore her. James decided to step up.

"Come on, answer her. Is that true?" he said. The Slytherin looked at him through disgusted eyes.

"Yes. It is. I only spoke the truth, though. I told her she was a filthy stinking mudblood that had no business here. Just like her." He said, nodding in Lily's direction.

Something inside James snapped. He couldn't stop himself as he drooped both of the boys, took out his wand, and turned it on the boy.

"James! What are you doing?" Lily demanded, trying to pry the wand from his hand.

"Teaching this Slytherin a lesson. Back off, Evans." He said, not looking away from the cowering Slytherin boy. "Now, apologize. To the both of them." He told him.

The Slytherin looked as if he would rather throw up. James smirked. "Fine, have it your way then." He said, shooting a curse at him.

"James! Stop that this instant!" Lily shouted as the boy was thrown across the hall, landing roughly on his hind quarters.

"What? Why? He insulted you, Evans." James said, looking at her. Her eyes were practically spitting fire, she was so angry.

"I know he insulted me, but what does that have to do with you?" said, turning to the boys. "Both of you, a weeks detention. Don't let this happen again, or there will be further punishment. 10 points from each of your houses." she yelled, turning on her heel and storming down the corridor, everyone in the crowd staring after her.

James quickly caught up to her, grabbing her arm and forcing her to stop. "What do you mean, 'what does that have to do with me?' It has everything to do with me!" he shouted at her.

"No, it doesn't! I've told you that tons of times. There is nothing between us! Why can't you understand that?" She asked, tears of frustration forming in her eyes.

James stared at her, open mouthed. "Fine. Can you do me one favor, though?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes. "What?" she spat.

"Tell me a reason. You've always said there was nothing between us, but you've yet to tell me why." He said, leaning up against a wall waiting for her to answer.

"You can't see it? Are you really that dense?" She asked. "James Potter, you are arrogant, conceited, pig-headed, and self-centered. The question you should be asking me is why would I actually like you?" she said.

Everything inside James crashed down on him at that instant. It was all he could do to keep the tears from falling. "Fine." he said, no emotion in his voice. "Then I guess I'd better leave you alone then. Wouldn't want to cause you anymore trouble than I already have."

James turned and walked down the corridor, leaving Lily to stare after him. Never before, after all of her insults, had he walked away from her like that. He had always seemed to bounce right back. Not this time, though. What had she done?


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: I don't not own Harry Potter or anything associated with that name. I do own Amaya, her parents, and her ties to Remus Lupin. Oh, and I own her grandparents as well.**

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**Chapter Five:**

"Prongs? What are you doing here? I thought you would be patrolling with Evans." Sirius said as he and Remus walked back into the common room with Amaya later that evening.

James just continued to stare straight ahead into the fireplace. They went over and sat beside him on the couch. "What's wrong?" Remus asked his friend. James continued to ignore him. "Fine then. Have it your way. We're going to bed." Remus said, upset that his friend was ignoring him. He stormed up the steps, turning back at the top and looking at Sirius. "You coming?"

Sirius looked at Amaya. "Sorry. See you tomorrow?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Of course you will, Sirius." Amaya said. "You are my cousins best friend."

Sirius blushed. "Right. Good night then." He said, standing up. He was disappointed that she didn't understand what he had meant.

"Sirius?" She said as he approached the foot of the steps.

"Yeah?" he said, turning around.

"Maybe tomorrow you could show me how to fly? On a broom, I mean. I've always wanted to fly." She said.

He smiled. "Sure. But Remus hates to fly, you know." he said. Maybe she had known what he meant, after all.

She smiled again. "I'm sure you and I can manage by ourselves, right?" She was shocked with herself. Normally she wasn't this forward with guys. There was just something about this one. Maybe it was the accent. Or the irresistible shaggy black hair. Either way, she had just made a date with him, whether she knew what attracted her to him or not.

"We sure can. See you then." Sirius said, smiling at her before running up the steps.

"Now, James. No that they are gone, do you mind telling me what is the matter with you?" She said, turning to the black haired boy that had been remarkably silent throughout her whole exchange with Sirius.

James blinked. He looked as though he wanted to say something. Instead he just looked at her, and then turned back to the fire.

"Come on. I know you don't know me that well, but I promise to keep it between us. You have my word." She said, putting her hand over her heart.

Turning to face her again, he looked into her eyes. She looked sincere enough. "Fine. You won't even tell Sirius?" He asked. Apparently he had been listening to the conversation going on around him. He just hadn't participated.

"I promise I won't." Amaya said. She was surprised that he actually decided to talk to her. She was just going to try for the heck of it. She knew that it sometimes was easier for a person to talk to a stranger rather than those who they were closest to.

"Well, Evans said…some things to me that really hit me hard." He started, pausing to wait for her to comment.

"Care to repeat it?" She asked.

"No, I'd rather not. Let's just say that she made it crystal clear that there was no chance for her and I. Ever." he said, looking at his hands.

For a split second, Amaya thought she saw tears in his eyes. Remembering how happy James had been the day before that Lily had even talked to him, she felt very sorry for him. "I'm so sorry, James." She said, putting her hand on his arm for comfort. "Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head. Then he turned to her. "Well, you can tell me something."

She nodded for him to continue.

"From what you've seen of me, do I seem at all…conceited…to you?"

Amaya didn't answer right away. James did seem a little conceited to her. As did Sirius. But some people were just like that. They couldn't help it, nor did they know they were doing it, either. The night before, when they were in the Heads room with James and Lily, she had noticed that he seemed to try a little too much to impress Lily. She could understand that this might be a little annoying to someone if it were a constant thing. "Well," She said finally. "You do seem to try too hard. I don't think you mean to seem conceited, it's just how you act. How others see you is different than how you see yourself."

James face fell even more, if that were possible. "I just want her to see how good I can be for her. I want her to see the best of me." he said. "But she's made it clear that there's no hope."

"Maybe there is." Amaya said, causing James to jerk his head up.

"You think? How?" He asked.

She smiled. "Maybe if you show her who you really are, she'll realize that she likes you."

James looked puzzled. "How do I do that?" He asked.

"For starters, call her by her first name. Not 'Evans'." James smiled. "Then, quit showing off so much. Just act normal. The way you do when you're with Sirius and Remus. The way you are now. She'll come around. She'd be crazy not to." Amaya finished.

James pondered over this for a minute. "I think I can do that. Thanks, Amaya." He said, hugging her briefly.

"Your welcome. Now, I think that both of us need to get to bed. It's late." James looked a his watch.

"Oh no! I've got to go! I've got patrolling to do. Thank You, again, Amaya." He said, rushing towards the portrait hole.

"Be yourself!" She commanded before he exited. Smiling, she walked up the steps leading to the girls dorms to find her bed.

---

As James approached, Lily was just leaving the Heads room and entering the hallway.

"Your late? Where have you been?" Lily demanded, hands on her hips.

James stared at her coolly. "What does it matter, Lily? So I had things to do. You said before that you could handle this job without me."

She just stood there, floored. James had never spoken to her this way before. As if she were just some normal acquaintance and nothing special. "I suppose it doesn't." She said.

"Alright. You take the right side of the school and the astronomy tower, and I'll take the left side and the dungeons." He said, walking in the opposite direction as her.

"Fine." She said, shocked that he wanted to split up from her. When they had been prefects, he had insisted on patrolling with her. She had assumed that he would do the same thing as Head Boy. Feeling an odd sense of loss that she had never experienced before, she went the way he had directed her, completely lost in her thoughts.

Apparently, she was so lost that she didn't see James turn to look back at her as he rounded the corner.

"Ok. Let's start out with the way they taught us during our first year. Stick your right hand , or whichever is your dominant hand, over your broom and say 'up' in a firm voice. Make the broom understand that you control it, not the other way around." Sirius said to Amaya as they were standing in the middle of the quidditch pitch after their classes the next day. Amaya had adjusted really well and was learning faster than expected. She just seemed to have a knack for it all. They had decided that they would go out for a while before dinner, leaving James to apologize to Remus (which he had been putting off all day) and then meet them in the Great Hall at suppertime.

As Amaya stuck her hand out over the broom, it vibrated a bit. She looked at Sirius with an accomplished expression on her face.

"Don't get too cocky. You haven't gotten it yet." He said teasingly. She smiled and furrowed her brow in concentration.

'_Alright, you broomstick. I am in control, not you. So come on, get up here!' _ She thought to herself. To her surprise, the broom leaped into her outstretched hand.

"Good! Good. Now, try and mount it. Put one leg over it, like this," he said, taking his broom from her and demonstrating. Drooling heavily at the way his pants fit him when he stretched his leg over the broom, she tried her best to pay attention. They had shed their robes when they had first entered the pitch, as they were too restricting for bodily movement. Now Amaya was beginning to wonder if that had been a mistake. How could she concentrate on the broom with a sight like that presenting itself!

"Here, you try." Sirius said, handing her the broom and snapping her out of her thoughts.

She took the broom and did what he had instructed. Now, however ,it was Sirius turn to drool as he noticed that she was wearing a pair of oh-so- tight pants. He was forced to snap his head up quickly when she mounted and look her in the face. "Ok. That seems simple enough for you. You've got the basics, so let's go for a spin, shall we? You in front, and I'll take control if you get scared or anything should happen." he said, hopping on the broom behind her.

Her skin tingled where he gripped her slightly around the waist, causing her to lose focus for a minute.

"Kick off, gently." He said. He felt a slight jerk as she pushed off, then everything got smooth as they made their ascent into the air.

The feeling made her giddy. It was a wonderful, weightless sensation that she couldn't remember ever feeling before in her life. It seemed as though the broom obeyed her thoughts rather than her movements. It was as though she had a second nature in the air. As if she had been flying all of her life.

"You're really good at this." Sirius said. He had just realized that they were close to each other. Closer than they had ever been. And that they were touching. He felt butterflies enter his stomach. "Um, go wherever you like." He said as his hands began tingling in their position around her waist. Her incredibly thin waist…He thought that if he could just move it a little further up, as if by accident…But no. He would not allow himself to do that . Not with her. There was any other girl for that. She seemed, somehow, to be different than anyone he had ever met. He didn't want to act like his old self. He wanted to impress her. To make her like him. He suddenly understood how James felt. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and concentrated on the flight.

The whole time she was flying, Amaya couldn't take her thoughts off of him. He was so close to her. She could smell his cologne, feel him breathing, not to mention that he was touching her. She felt that even if they were on the ground, her head would be spinning as if it had never come down out of the clouds.

Once they landed, Sirius hopped off the broom quickly, afraid that if he were close to her any longer, he would be forced to do something…stupid.

"Well, I would say that that was a good enough flight for one day, don't you?" He asked.

She nodded. "It was wonderful. Thank you for teaching me, Sirius. I know you didn't have to, and that you probably have a girlfriend or something better to do today." She shifted guiltily on her feet. She had overlooked the fact that he might have a girlfriend. He probably couldn't wait to ditch her.

He shook his head. "Nope. I didn't have anything better to do. And I don't have girlfriend, believe me." He said, smiling. "Although none can resist the Black charm, I find that I can't see my self settling down with anyone here. All the girls are, well, stuck up."

She snorted. "According to some of the girls, it's you and James that are stuck up."

He smirked mischievously. "Oh? And what do you think?" he asked.

She smiled, prepared to run, and said, "Well, you have your moments." and took off for the school.

He was faster than her, and caught up with her about halfway to her destination. Before she knew what was going on, he had her pinned to the ground and was tickling her unmercifully.

"Ok…Ok!" She gasped, out of breath and sore from laughing so much. "You win. I surrender."

He stopped tickling her and smiled. "I always do." He said. Summoning all her strength, she reversed the situation and rolled over on him.

"Oh, do you? Well, time to change that!" She said, and he suffered the same fated as she had a moment ago.

By the time he was done laughing, he was out of breath too. Rolling off of him, Amaya lay on her back staring at the blue sky above. They each lay their for a minute in silence, before Sirius rolled onto side, head on his elbow, and looked at her.

"That was…fun. I don't know how long it's been since I've been tickled. Thank you for showing me what I was missing." He said. She rolled over into the same position facing him.

"Your welcome." She said simply, distracted by the look in his eyes. Before she could stop herself, it was already too late. She leaned up and kissed him right on the lips. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly pulled back. "Sirius…I'm sorr…," She was cut off by him pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers. She kissed him back and found that she liked it. He kissed far better than any other guy she had kissed.

After a minute, they pulled back for a breath.

"Wow." Sirius said. "That was…quite a kiss. I'm surprised some American guy hasn't laid claims on you. You don't have a boyfriend, do you?" He asked in horror.

She laughed and shook her head. "No."

"Whew. That's good. Well, I' m starving, I don't know about you." He said, getting up and offering her his hand.

She accepted it and walked with him into the castle. She didn't even know that they were still holding hand until they approached the Gryffindor table and were spotted by Remus and James.

"Well. From now on when they say, 'learning to fly' we know they really mean something else, eh' Moony?" James said.

Sirius looked down at their clasped hands. His face grew red. "Remus…I….It….We…" He began.

Remus stuck up his hand. "It was inevitable, my friend. Calm down. I'm glad it was you, though. I would have killed anybody else." Sirius smiled, and sat down beside  
Amaya, who was already digging into the food.

"In that case.." He said, filling his plate with food. "I think I want to challenge my new…" He stopped. "Wait, are we…I mean, are you my…?"

"Girlfriend? Lover?" James supplied.

"Girlfriend, yes that's it. Are you my girlfriend?" He asked.

Amaya smiled. "That depends. Do you want a girlfriend? I mean, I wouldn't want to hurt your reputation as a ladies man."

Sirius smiled. "For you, there is no reputation. I would love to have a girlfriend."

"Ok then. What were you challenging your new girlfriend to?"

Sirius looked puzzled. "Oh, yeah." He said, finally. "A eating contest. To see who can hold the record. Currently, I hold it, followed close by James and Remus, who seem to keep tying. But if you can beat me, you would be the first female to win, not to mention the fun of beating them both and leaving them in shame. What do you say?"

Amaya gave him a determined look. "Your on. First one to clear 4 plates wins. Remus, say go."

Remus smiled. Sirius couldn't have found a better match. "Go!" He said, watching in amusement as his cousin and his best friend both dived into a pile of mashed potatoes.

About an hour later, there was a new champion at Gryffindor table. Amaya had beaten Sirius by a mere millisecond, but she had beaten him all the same.

"Whew! I'm stuffed!" Amaya said, pushing her plate away from her.

"Me too." Sirius said, somewhat grumpily.

"What's the matter, Padfoot? Upset that your girlfriend beat you at your own game?" Remus quipped.

Sirius just glared at him.

"Aww. Sirius, I didn't meant to embarrass you!" Amaya said in a mock-sympathetic voice. "Come on. Let's go back to the common room and find something you can beat me at." She said, getting up from the table with Sirius in tow. "Coming Remus?" She asked before her mouth was captured by a kiss from Sirius.

"You two go on ahead. I'll give you a head start." Remus said. All the mushiness was making him nauseous.

Amaya chuckled. "Whatever you say, cuz."

Remus looked in horror as her cousin was lead out of the Great Hall by the infamous Sirius Black. Something in the way she had said that worried him.

"Are you actually going to let them go somewhere…alone?" James asked.

Remus immediately stood up. "On second thought, no. See you later?" He said.

James nodded. "After patrol." He said. Remus nodded and headed out of the Great Hall to catch up with Amaya and Sirius.

"Potter?" He heard a voice say somewhere down the table. He turned.

"Yeah, Lily?" He asked.

She stared at him, still not used to his use of her first name. "Um, it's time to patrol." She said, pointing to her watch.

"Ok. Same as last night?" He asked.

She stared at him strangely before nodding.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Eragon….Err, wait, this is Harry Potter, isn't it? My bad, guys. I'm a but confuzzled…again that's a JK Rowling copyright phrase.**

"So, what did you want to challenge me to, Maya?" Sirius asked her as they walked hand in hand to the common room. Sirius was hoping that it would be deserted, for the onlookers' sake, if not his.

Amaya smiled. "What was that you called me?" She asked, looking at him with a strange spark in her eye.

He stopped and pulled her towards him and they ended up pinned to the wall. "I called you Maya. My little Maya." He said, kissing her gently on the lips. "Why, don't you like it?" He asked, pulling back.

She smiled, a little disappointed that he pulled away. "Yes, actually. I do like it. But only you can call me that. If anyone else does, I'll murder 'em." She said, humorously.

He smiled. " Aww. My little spirited one. I like that." He said, kissing her again. This time their kiss was interrupted by Remus coming up the hall.

"And what, might I ask, is going on here? Don't you know that there's no…mingling…in the halls?" Remus said, frowning, in a good way, at his cousin. Deep down, he shuddered to think of what these two might accomplish if left alone.

Sirius separated himself from Amaya, dusting himself off. Amaya stood up straight and messed with her robes, trying to get the wrinkles out from where Sirius was pressed so closely to her. Their relationship was moving really fast, considering that she only started dating him a number of hours ago, but she would have it no other way. The feeling she gained from his kisses, from his touch, well, it was inexpressible. She only knew that she never wanted that feeling of pure elatedness to end.

"Why Remus, fancy seeing you here, 'ol buddy." Sirius said innocently, as if he weren't just in a compromising position with his best friends' cousin.

Remus smiled. "Oh, ha ha. You would never meet anyone in the corridor at all, would you?. Because everyone knows that it's the best place to be alone." He said sarcastically.

Amaya smiled. "Oh, Remy. Calm down. We were just on our way to the common room, you know that. We just got a little…sidetracked, that's all." She grabbed Sirius' hand for support.

Remus rolled his eyes.

Sirius patted him on the back as the three made their way, finally, towards the portrait hole. "Come on, Remy. You trust me, don't you?"

Remus snorted. "Oh, yeah. Just about as much as I would trust a fox in the chicken coup."

It was Amaya's turn to laugh. Remus had used an American expression that she knew Sirius wouldn't recognize.

"Thank you, chum. That means a lot to me." Sirius said, apparently ignorant to the tale.

"Yes, well, it is well earned." Remus said. "Tempus Fugit" He said to the fat lady's picture, causing it to swing forward.

When they entered, they were greeted by a nearly empty common room. Remus was glad that he hadn't let them come up here alone, after all. He would have to thank James later.

"Oh, and Sirius?" He said, flopping down onto one of the cushy armchairs.

"Hmmm?" Sirius said, absentmindedly stroking Amaya's hair. They were both sitting on the couch together.

"Don't call me Remy, if you know what's good for you."

Lily was alone, which was the usual thing lately. Something was wrong with James. She couldn't put her finger on it though. She knew it was something she did. She just didn't understand what, exactly, she had said or done wrong. She had snapped at him, as she always did. It had never had that effect before. No, something was different this time, and she was determined to figure out what.

As she rounded the corner of the Astronomy tower, she heard the sound of, well, people kissing. The sound of smacking lips and moans of pleasure were enough to make her sick normally. This time, however, she found a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. Sort of a lonely feeling, if she had to describe it. Suddenly, the room seemed to be spinning and she had the strange urge to sit down. She did so, at the foot of the stairs, and found her thoughts drawn bizarrely to none other than James Potter.

As she sat there in silence for a minute, it suddenly came to her. It was so clear, yet she wanted to deny it so much. It almost felt wrong to even think it. But the truth was inevitable, she told herself. There was nothing to do but admit it.

The reason something was different with James this time was that she, Lily Evans, actually cared.

Now, she wouldn't put herself so far out there as to say that she cared about James himself. No, that would be a little to much for her to grasp. After all, she had openly despised him for years, and the thought that she might have some sort of feelings for him was plain out anomalous.

But there was the off chance that, if he changed his attitude the slightest bit…No. She couldn't think about this right now. She had to finish her patrolling. She did decide, however, to try to at least make a ceasefire with James. You know, to get him to talk to her again.

Not that she cared, but she just didn't want him to suffer too much. He was only human, in any case.

"Fine. Jeez. You don't have to get so snappy." Sirius said to Remus.

Remus smiled. "On the contrary, mate, I am afraid that I do. You see, it is an insult to my manhood. What if I started calling you Siri all the time? How would that look?" He asked.

Amaya sat up. "That's it! I think I'll call you Siri! MY wittle Siri-poo." She said, patting him on the head.

Sirius was about to dispute the nickname before she patted him on the head. As she did that, however, he had a sense of de ja vu (I have no clue how to spell that, so bare with me here folks). She had done that once before, and Sirius had had an eerie feeling in his gut that she knew about him. That she knew about all of them and their secrets. But after talking to Remus, he knew that she couldn't possibly.

But he did, however, face the fact that if they were going to date, he would have to tell her eventually. He just didn't know if James or Remus, especially Remus, would be ready to share their secrets.

"James?" Lily said to the Head Boy as they entered their common room after patrolling. James was planning on going straight to bed, but he instinctively turned at the sound of Lily's voice.

"Yeah, Evans?" He asked, somewhat standoffishly.

Lily wringed her hands. "Um, I'm sorry. For everything." She spat, looking at her feet which suddenly were so appealing…

James rolled his eyes. "Yes, but do you even know what it is that you are sorry for? You can't apologize unless you do." he said, sitting down on the settee that was in the middle of the room in front of the fireplace and looking at her keenly. He had initially went along with this whole 'let's be mad at Lily' plan,( hoping that she would see the true him and fall for him, blah blah blah), because Amaya had suggested it, but the more he actually went through with it, he noticed that he sort of liked it too.  
It made sense, after all. Maybe she would like him if she saw his true self. Remus and Sirius liked him, so he couldn't be that bad, could he?

Lily panicked. She had sort of hoped that he would take the kind of 'dense guy' way out. You know, not ask what she was apologizing for, and then just accept it readily and get on with other business. James, it seemed, was not so dense or careless. Which added another surprise to her list of things she didn't know about James Potter. It seemed that there were quite a few things that she had made false presumptions on. "Well, I…uh….You know, for being a git earlier. It was wrong of me to jump all over you when you tried to defend me. Sorry." She said, hoping that she was right about the reason that he was mad.

James sighed. "Oh, Lils. Why are you so clueless? I thought the Head Girl was supposed to be clever. So why is it that everyone knows it but you?" He said, simply. Getting up, he walked slowly over to the door leading into his bed chambers and made to open it.

The color rose to Lily's face quickly for she had heard the insult hidden amongst his words. She was furious. "Wait a minute!" James stopped. "How do you get off, calling me stupid! Especially after I took my time and tried to apologize to you? And what, pray tell, does everyone else know but me, hmm?" She said, putting her hand on her hip and waiting fretfully for an answer.

James frowned as he took his hand off of his doorknob. He turned around and looked her dead in the eye. After a minute or two of silent debate, he finally made up his mind. Before Lily could do anything to stop him, and before he could stop himself, James walked right over to her, grabbed her head in his hands, and kissed her firmly on the lips. "That." He said, releasing her head. "I love you, Lily Evans. I have since the first time that I laid eyes on you at Kings Cross before our first year. Every dumb thing that I have done, every lame thing that I have said since then has been for you. I only wanted to look good, for you. Nothing else has mattered. But since you clearly despise me and the ground that I walk on, I will let you be. You have your wish at last. I give up." He said, turning on his heel and leaving a very stunned Lily Evans in his wake, staring at him dumbstruck.

"You did what!" Remus yelled at James as he told his friends what had happened the previous night with Lily.

"I kissed her, Moony. And I told her that I loved her." James said, almost mechanically, all the while staring into the fire with grave intensity.

"Yes, I gathered that much. That's not what I meant. I meant the part about you giving up on her. How could you do that?" Remus asked as he stared at James incredulously.

"Well, after I talked to Amaya the other day, I decided that if Lily couldn't like me for me, then there was no reason for me to waste her time and my energy."

"Wait a second. You listened to Amaya? And she told you that?" Remus asked. James nodded. Remus looked at his cousin.

"You told him to give up on her?" He said, furious. Clearly he liked the idea of James getting together with Lily.

Amaya looked at him defensively. "I told him no such thing, Remus. How dare you accuse me of it."

"Ok. What exactly did you tell him to do, then?" He asked, this time a little calmer. He sat down on the couch beside of Sirius, who was working on his homework that he didn't finish for his Charms class.

"All I told him was that he needed to be himself and to stop trying so hard to impress her, that's all. I said nothing about him giving up on her." She said, looking at James. "Clearly he misunderstood me. I'm sorry James."

James smiled at her. "It's alright. I should actually be thanking you. You helped me realize that I could be concentrating on other things besides her. That there is a life outside of Lily." He hopped up from the couch. "Well," He said, smiling, "I am going for a fly. Any one want to come?"

Amaya and Sirius nodded, although both were concerned for James. Remus declined and said that he needed to go to the library and look up something.

Placing his unfinished homework on a desk, Sirius got up, grabbed Amaya's hand, and they both followed James out to the Quidditch pitch.


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, no matter how many times I asked Santa Claus to bring him to me. (Come on, big guy! There's always next year!)**

Chapter 7:

The next few weeks flew by Lily in sort of a blur. Ever since James had kissed her, nothing seemed to make any sense. He seemed so sincere, so truthful, that she was sort of ashamed with herself. He hadn't kissed her like some boy looking for a good time. No, he kissed her tenderly, lovingly. She had never experienced a kiss like that before, and was afraid now that she never would again. The moment he had kissed her, a series of emotions sprung up in Lily. First, she experienced the familiar anger and annoyance, then that faded into not minding, then to liking it, then to actually wishing that he wouldn't stop. But he did. And she had felt this feeling of longing ever since.

Finally, in her seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lily Evans admitted the truth. She liked James Potter. No, she loved him. And now it was too late She had screwed every chance she had with him up. Throwing her quill down onto the pile of homework she had been attempting to complete, she stood up and headed to the one place she knew he might be. If she couldn't have him, maybe she could at least apologize for the right thing now.

"Where are you going, Sirius?" Amaya asked from her position on the couch in the common room.

Sirius walked over to her and hugged her. "Just…out. With James and Remus and Peter." He said, kissing her on the lips. "Don't worry, we'll be back."

Amaya frowned. He had done the same thing last month. 'It's just a night out with the guys' he had told her then. She had been all for it, for it allowed her plenty of time away from kissing to finish all of her homework. She hadn't, however, counted on this being a monthly thing. Especially not tonight when she had nothing else to do.

"But why do you have to go out so late? Won't you get caught?" She asked, frantically. Sirius pushed a stray hair behind her ear.

"Babe, give it a rest, ok? I'll be fine." Just then Remus came down the stairs, looking rather worse for wear, followed closely by James. "Look, there's the guys." He said. "Hey, where's Pete?" He asked James.

"He couldn't make it. Something to do with detention."

"But then how do we…?" He asked, trailing off at the end.

James shook his head. Just then, Remus let out a whimper. "We have to go. Now." He said, seriously.

Sirius nodded and got up from the couch. Amaya stood as well.

"Should Remus go? He looks a little sick." She said, concerned for her cousin.

"I'm fine." Remus said, voice raspy. "Come on, Padfoot. We're running out of time."

"Alright." He turned to Amaya. "See you in the morning. Goodnight." He said, kissing her one last time before they hurried out of the portrait hole.

Amaya sat down on the couch, puzzled. What in the world was that about? Why were they short on time? And what couldn't they do without Peter?

Lily's courage was growing with every step she took towards the Common Room. She knew that James would be there with his friends. He always was. However, when she turned the corner and ran right into James himself, she suddenly lost her courage.

"Oh, um, sorry. Do you have a minute?" She asked him as she stood and dusted off her robes. He was with Remus and Sirius and seemed to be in a hurry.

"Not right now Evans. Excuse us." He said, and rushed down the hallway without so much as looking at her.

Lily felt hurt. Before she knew it the tears were spilling over her eyelids and into the floor, fogging her vision. Somehow she managed to make it to the entrance to the common room in one piece.

Amaya's thoughts were interrupted as the portrait hole swung open, revealing a crying Head Girl. Amaya instantly got up and rushed over to her.

"Oh my gosh. What's wrong Lily?" She asked, leading her to the couch with her arm around her.

Lily started crying full force now. Amaya never understood why people did that. She herself had done it tons of times. It just seems like when you're crying, you're fine until somebody starts to care and asks why. Then, you can't even tell them because it triggers something and you cry even harder.

Finally, a few minutes later, Lily calmed down enough to talk. "Amaya, if I tell you, do you promise not to tell Sirius?" Lily asked, wiping her nose on her sleeve. Amaya nodded.

"Sure."

"Well, I think I like James. No, I think I love James. Actually, I know I love James, but he doesn't want anything to do with me, and I have absolutely no idea what to do." She said, bursting into tears again at the end. Amaya hugged her.

"Aw, sweetie, you'll think of something. Besides, what ever gave you the idea that he wanted nothing to do with you?"

Lily sniffled. "He told me." She sniffled again. "Well, he didn't exactly say that, but I could tell that's what he meant."

Amaya smiled. "Oh, he's just a guy. I'm sure he just said some things he didn't mean, that's all."

"I wish. But I was going to apologize to him, you know, for being such a clueless idiot, but when I tried to talk to him a minute ago, he wouldn't even look at me. He just said, 'Not now, Evans', and just kept walking."

Amaya frowned again. "They were all in a hurry. A boys night out is what they told me. I'm sure that he'll have plenty of time to talk to you tomorrow."

This seemed to placate Lily for the time being. "Thank you, Amaya." She said, hugging her. Amaya smiled.

"Anytime. Now, what do you say we have ourselves a girls night in?" She asked, hoping that Lily would agree.

Thankfully, she did. "I have to patrol first, though. It's going to take a while because James isn't here."

Amaya smiled. "Fine. I'll just have to come with you then, won't I?"

Lily smiled and stood. "If you want to, you are more than welcome. I hate patrolling alone. This school can be a tad spooky at night."

Amaya stood and the girls locked arms and headed out of the portrait hole.

"Come on, Sirius, we have to think. Remus has been in there alone for about thirty minutes now. Can you imagine what he's going through?" James said as the two boys stood a safe distance from the whomping willow that guarded the entrance to the shrieking shack.

Sirius looked around. Spotting a long stick on the ground, he ran to it and picked it up. "Let's try this." Stretching the stick as far out as he could without getting hit by the swinging branches, he carefully aimed for the knot in the middle that would grant them passage. After two failed attempts, he finally got it.

"Yes! Good one, Padfoot! Now, let's go!" James said, transforming into a beautiful stag and running into the hole under the tree. Sirius followed suite, and, after turning into a great black dog, he ran in after him.

Sirius and James were tired. Not that they normally weren't after a night with Remus the werewolf, but after they had shown up late, Remus the wolf decided to give them a little payback before he settled back into the calmer wolf he usually was with them. Each one was covered with a least two or more deep scratches.

Needless to say, they were ready for nothing but a peaceful few hours of sleep when they entered the portrait hole at 5:30 in the morning. They were surprised to find when they entered the two sleeping forms of Lily and Amaya on the couch in front of the fire.

Sirius looked at James, who had a look of wanting in his eyes. "They look so beautiful, don't they?" He asked.

James nodded. "Yeah, she does." He said, dreamily.

"Maybe you should talk to her more, James. She did seem a little down in the dumps after your last argument."

James shook his head. "Nah. Besides, she doesn't want to talk to me, anyway."

"She wanted to talk to you tonight, remember?" Sirius said, smiling. He hoped that things went alright for James. After spending a glorious month with Amaya, he wanted the same for his friend and Lily.

"Yeah, but it was probably just Heads business."

Lily and Amaya were both wide awake and listening to this conversation. They couldn't help it. They had been awake to begin with, but heard someone coming in and decided to fake sleep. Now they wished they hadn't.

"You're wrong." A voice said from the couch. James and Sirius nearly jumped out of their shoes, suddenly wide awake.

"You were…did you hear…?" James stuttered. Lily nodded.

"Yes. And I did want to talk to you. I still do, if you'll talk to me." Lily said, hopping up from her position on the couch.

"Alright then, on the way back to the Heads Rooms." James answered, waiting for her before they walked out.

When they left, Sirius slumped onto the couch. "Whew. I sure hope that goes well."

Amaya smiled. "It will. At least, if James cooperates it will." She said, leaning into him. He wrapped his arms around her. "So, did you have fun on your boys night out?" She asked. "Wait a minute, where's Remus?" She exclaimed, sitting up in a panic. "Is he alright? You didn't leave him, did you, because if you did so help me, I'll…" She said, but he put his finger to her mouth to shush her.

"Calm down. He's fine. He just felt sick and decided to go to the hospital wing when we got back."

She sat back down against the couch. "Oh. Sorry, I just got so worried. He used to be so sickly when he was little. And then I jumped to conclusions."

He wrapped his arms around her once more and the two settled into the couch. "It's alright. I forgive you." Sirius said, and they each drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

"So? What did you want to talk to me about?" James asked Lily as the two made their way to their rooms.

Lily felt brave in the dim light of the corridor. "James, I'm sorry." She began. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for being a clueless prat, for being so mean to you when you were nothing but kind to me, and I'm sorry for hurting you." she paused to look at him.

His face was, so far, expressionless. He nodded for her to continue.

"James, I am also sorry that I didn't believe you. You know, when you said you had feelings for me. I'm sorry that I was so blind to my feelings for you. And I am also sorry that you've given up, because that means that we can't be together." she finished.

He stopped and was now staring at her, mouth gaping open in shock. She stood there for a minute, trying to let her words sink in.

"I hope that you can come to forgive me, James. I…" She began, but was cut off as he pressed his lips to hers and wrapped his arms around her waist. When he pulled away, there were tears in his eyes.

Lily Evans, you have no idea how long I have waited to hear you say those words. Of course I forgive you. And you're a fool if you think I have given up that easily. James Potter never gives up." He said, wiping his eyes.

Lily smiled, tears coming despite herself. This time, it was her who kissed him firmly on the lips.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: _Ask me no question's and I'll tell you no lies…(roughly speaking, I don't own HP, but let's not talk about it…)_**

**A/N: _Alas, I am going to update…that must be a new record…I deserve a cookie….(munches on chocolate chip cookie)…Thank you all for the grand total of four reviews. Disheartening, yes, but am I giving up? NEVER! ;)_**

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**Chapter Eight: Have A Nice Day (Why? Because a date should be nice!)**

**: _Attention Students:_**

_This weekend will be a Hogsmeade weekend. It will only be open to third years and up, so please, to all the 1st and 2nd years, there is NO way you will be permitted to join, so please refrain from asking your Head of House for permission. Your efforts are futile._

_All third years MUST have the permission form that was sent to them along with their letters on their person and signed by their parent or guardian. There will be NO exception, as stated above._

_Thank You,_

_M. McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Gryffindor Head of house_

Amaya stepped back from the billboard to allow the rest of the students that were clambering for a peek to get through. She walked over to where James, Remus, Sirius, and Lily were seated in their favourite armchairs beside of the fire and sat down.

"It says that this weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend. What's a Hogsmeade weekend?" she asked no one in particular. Sirius took it upon himself to answer.

"That, my lovely lady, is a field trip to the local wizarding village. It's the best thing this school gives us to do besides meal time."

Amaya smiled. "Oh, and what of other activities? Is this village better than those?" she asked, raising a playful brow to him.

Sirius' eye's grew wide. "Well…I….uh…." he stammered.

"That's what I thought. I mean, honestly, how could anything be better than flying?" Amaya said, sitting down in the seat that Sirius had saved for her and admiring his stricken expression.

Remus laughed. "In all seriousness, it's rather enjoyable. That's where I get my fix. Honeydukes is my heaven."

"Yes, and Zonko's Joke Shop. That's where we get our supplies." Sirius said, finally having regained his composure after Amaya's little tease.

"Not to mention that you can ask a girl and make it a date. There's this little tea shop…and all the couples go there….to, well, you know." James said, looking at Lily with an evil glint in his eye.

"Well, Mr. Potter. It seems that you know far too much about this tea shop for my liking. There'll be no time wasted there this trip." Lily said, earning a pout from James.

Amaya smiled and sat back in her chair, taking a deep relaxing breath. These past few weeks had been hectic on her. She had finally caught up with the rest of her classmates, thanks to all the late night tutoring sessions with Remus and Lily. She was very tired and had a good excuse. The bad part of her achievement, however, was that she had barely had any time to spend with Sirius. It seemed like every time he asked her to do something, she always had more and more work to do. She really hoped that he asked her to Hogsmeade with him. It would be the perfect opportunity to get their still new relationship back on track.

Her thoughts were broken as Remus suddenly stood up and stretched. "Well, I am going down to dinner. Are you lot coming?" he asked, receiving nods from all of them.

Sirius stood up and looked about the common room. "Where's Peter?" he asked.

Remus shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't been seeing him around outside of classes and out of the dorm's lately."

"Hmm." Sirius said, turning and offering Amaya a hand up.

James did the same to Lily. "You know, I could have sworn that I saw him in the library yesterday with Severus Snape. Can you believe that?"

Everyone stopped in their trek to the portrait hole and looked at James with wide eyes.

"I know. It's weird, huh?" he said.

Remus chuckled and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Yes. I find it very weird you being in the library for no apparent reason."

"As do we all." Sirius said, smiling at Amaya. Amaya had noticed in the 3 months that she had been at school here that the Marauders, as they liked to call themselves, rarely ever spent time in the school library. Well, except for Remus, but he was a lot different than the other two.

"What? Can't a guy want to learn something for a change?" James asked.

"James, all you have to do is tell us that Evan's sent you there to fetch a book. We'll understand." Sirius said, grinning at the girl in question who was trying to hide her smirk.

James face went red. "I..uh….well, it's not the only reason!" he said, feebly trying to defend himself. "I can read, you know, contrary to popular belief."

"Books on quidditch tactics don't count, I'm afraid." Amaya threw in. She found that it was rather fun giving the boys some hell when the hell so readily presented itself to be given.

"Oh, hardy har har. That was a good one. Now if you lot don't mind, I am hungry." James said, attempting to look mad and storming past the rest of them and out of the portrait hole. Everyone laughed at his retreating form and knew that James was most likely doing the same on the other side of the door. The good thing about being a marauder or a marauder's friend meant that you could really learn to appreciate a good mickey. Especially if you are the unfortunate soul receiving the harsh blows.

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The day of the Hogsmeade visit was upon them at last. Amaya had been asked by Sirius, James had asked Lily, and Remus was going with some mystery girl and refused to tell them who she was. He did, however, promise to tell them, or show them, rather, who it was when they all met up at the Three Broomsticks for butter beers before they headed back to the castle.

Amaya was nervous. Not that she had any reason to be. She had been dating Sirius for 2 months. The problem was that she had rarely saw him alone during those months and they were still getting to know each other.

She was pacing back and forth in her rooms wearing nothing but a towel when Lily walked in.

"What on earth are you doing? We're leaving in ten minutes and you aren't even dressed yet!" the red head demanded, her hand on her hip much the same as when she was chastising one of the boys.

Amaya gave her a pleading look. "I have nothing nice to wear!" she said, thumbing through her clothes again and throwing many of the items out of her trunk and onto the floor.

Lily smiled. "Don't worry, I went through the same thing. Here, I'll help you." she said, walking over to Amaya's trunk and looking into it. She grabbed out a black shirt and a pair of Capri pants. She then selected matching flip-flops and a jacket.

Amaya stared at her friend in indignation. "Lily, it's November! I can't wear that!" she said frantically, throwing more clothes out of the trunk.

"My dear, you are a witch and therefore know a proper warming spell, do you not?" Lily asked in amusement. Amaya just stood there for a minute, clearly dumbstruck.

"Oh my gosh, you're right! How could I do this without you, Lils?" she said, smiling and sitting down on the edge of the bed, finally able to relax.

Lily sat down next to her. "You couldn't." she said, hugging the exasperated girl. "But I would say that you had better hurry or my efforts will have been in vain."

Amaya hopped up off the bed and grabbed her clothes. She ran into the bathroom and got dressed quickly. She then performed a drying spell on her hair (taught to her by Lily) and did the fastest make-up job ever. When she walked out of the bathroom, Lily was no longer there. Amaya assumed that she had went down to meet James. So, grabbing her purse, she followed suit and went down the girls staircase and into the common room where her date would be waiting on her.

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"**S**o, where do you want to go first?" Sirius asked Amaya as they made their way along the street in Hogsmeade.

Amaya stared at the many shops thoughtfully. She then spotted a shop called 'Honeydukes' that she'd heard Remus mention before. "Oh! Let's go there!" she said, grabbing his hand and leading to the door eagerly.

Sirius laughed and allowed himself to be tugged into the shop by the enthusiastic witch.

-The lady at the counter looked up at them and smiled when they entered. Upon looking around, Amaya noticed many people that she recognized from school standing around the shelves and holding bags full of candy. She made her way to the first shelf and stared wide-eyed at the many candies.

"Cockroach Clusters? Please tell me that those aren't real…" she asked, looking at him with a horrified expression.

He smiled. "A spell, my darling." he turned to another shelf. "Here, these have the same sort of enchantment on them only they are much more…friendly looking than those." he said, handing her a packet labelled 'Chocolate Frog'. She took it and put it into one of the small sacks that were provided above the shelves. She moved along to the next display. This time it was of a lolli-pop type thing. They were called 'Acid Pops' and she could only guess what they did. She passed them up and went along.

"Here. Why don't you let me get you a bunch of sweets that I think you will like and save us the trouble of having to see the pretty sick stuff?" Sirius asked her as she eyed the stand of 'Blood Flavoured Lolli-Pops' with trepidation.

"Thanks. I think if I saw anymore like this I might lose my appetite all together." se said, handing him her bag and standing by the wall, watching him go to various shelves through out the store and grab various sweets.

When he returned, the bag was nearly full to the brim. "Wow." she said. "I don't think I could possibly eat all that!"

He laughed. "Fine. We'll eat it together." he told her, offering her a roguish smile as they made their way to the register to pay.

---After they left the sweet shop, Sirius suggested that they go to the quidditch shop to look around some. He also mentioned needing to pick up some broom polish for James that he owed him as he used his last can for a prank on some Slytherin first years at the end of last school year. By the time they finished in there, it was past time to meet everyone at the Three Broomsticks, so they headed in that direction, hands entwined.

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"Come on, Lily! Are we going to spend all day in here?" James whined to his girlfriend who was currently sitting Indian style in the aisle of some book shop.

She finally shut her book and looked up at him. For the last hour or so she had been looking through all the books in the shop eager to find one to her liking. James had been patient…in the beginning. But now, he was growing very antsy and she didn't blame him one bit. If he had taken her to the quidditch shop and left her to her own devices for an hour while he looked at some broom or some equipment or something, she would be bored out of her mind.

"Oh, alright then. Let me just pay for these…"she said, picking up the three books that she had decided upon. James stopped her, however, and took the books from her arms.

"No, you go wait outside. I will get these for you." he said, motioning towards the door and sending her a look that said 'I'm not arguing about this'.

"If you're sure…" she said unsurely. She hated having other's buy things for her. It always made her feel so dependant.

"I'm positive, now go. I'll be out there in a minute, ok?"

She nodded at him and went outside. She saw a bench by the door so she sat down, taking a deep breath and looking at all the happy couples around her. She was very happy that she didn't have to spend yet another Hogsmeade trip on her own.

A few minutes later, James came out of the shop looking harassed. Lily jumped up and walked over to him.

"What's the matter?" she asked him cautiously, taking the bag from his hand and noticing that there were a few more additions to the books that she had picked out. "What're these other books?" she asked, peering through the bag.

James looked back at the shop only to see the old shop-witch waving at him animatedly through the window. "Nothing. They're nothing. Come on, I want to go to the quidditch shop before we have to meet the others." he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her down the street towards the other store.

Lily laughed, allowing herself to be dragged down the road. She had seen the old woman in the window and knew from experience that woman always got the guys that went into the shop to buy some extra worthless item. She would practically fling herself on them to the point that they will buy anything to get out of there. Lily would have really liked to see the expression on James Potter's face, though. Perhaps another trip to the book shop was in order during the next Hogsmeade visit.

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"Are you ready?" Remus asked his date, Michella Tomison, a fellow seventh year and Gryffindor.

Michella smiled politely and nodded. She had been looking forward to a date with the one and only Remus Lupin for a while now. It had come as quite a shock to her when he had asked her. She remembered it as though it were just yesterday…maybe that's because it was.

She had been sitting in the library doing her homework when he came over to her table…

_**:(flashback):**_

"Hey, uh, Michella." she'd heard a voice say. She was so distracted in her Charms essay that she didn't even look up to see who it was.

"Hey." she said, writing on furiously, her brow furrowed in concentration.

She heard him clear his throat. Thinking he was one of the stupid boys who normally tried to get her attention, she put her quill down and slammed her book shut.

"What the…."she began, but stopped as soon as she looked up and saw none other than Remus Lupin, the guy that she had had a crush on for the past 4 years. Her face was as red as a beat by now, she just knew, and it was suddenly getting very hot in the library. "Ssorry, Remus. I….uh, thought you were someone else." she managed, flashing him an apologetic smile.

His face relaxed and he smiled back at her. "I…uh, was wondering if you wanted to…take a walk with me. By the lake. If you're not that busy, that is."

She didn't know what in the world Remus Lupin would be asking her to take a walk with him for, but she wasn't about to pass up the chance. Shoving her books and long since forgotten essay in her bag, she stood up slowly. "Sure. Just let me drop these off at the tower, ok?" she said, slinging the bag over her shoulder.

"Alright. I'll walk with you."

As they made their way to the tower, there was a silence that Michella wished desperately that she could break, but was uncertain what to say to the infamous marauder.

After her things were dumped into the nearest sofa, they turned and headed out the portrait hole, their destination the Hogwarts grounds.

This time, the walk wasn't so quiet. Remus had taken it upon himself to talk about classes and his cousin from America, Amaya. Michella knew Amaya briefly from the dorm that she shared with her, but hadn't really said that much to her. She normally didn't talk to that many people because she liked to concentrate on her school work and couldn't afford any unneeded distractions. This year, however, she had begun to notice how odd she must seem to others and she had also begun longing for friends like the marauders. Especially Remus J. Lupin (she knew his middle initial as it was printed on his bag).

They barely noticed when they approached the lake. They were so lost in conversation, in fact, that they had barely even noticed when they finished their fourth lap around the large lake. The only thing that alerted them to the present time was the fact that it was growing darker out.

"Well," Remus said, his hands in his pockets shyly, "It's getting late out here and I haven't even asked you what I came to ask you."

Michella's heart leaped into her throat at that moment. In fact, she was sure that if she wasn't worried about making a complete fool of herself, she would have dropped over dead right there. "And that is…?" she asked him, her hands fumbling around in her own pockets.

"This weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend. I was sort of wondering if you wanted to come with me…as a date?" he said to her, looking into her eyes with an innocent expectancy.

She wanted to run, jump up and down, laugh, and cry all at the same time. However, that would fall under the category of 'making a fool of ones self', so she refrained. "Yes. I think I would like that, thanks." she finished lamely. Mentally she was kicking herself for being such a clueless git.

Remus, however, seemed not to notice, as he was now grinning from ear to ear. "Great. Then we'll meet in the common room before the carriages leave?" he asked her. She nodded, and the tow made their trek back up to the castle so as to not get caught outside by Filch.

_**:(End Flashback):**_

Now, here she was, with Remus, at the book shop, of all places, arm in arm with him and preparing to go meet all his friends, as his date of all things. Life was good.

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Amaya and Sirius walked into the Three Broomsticks and steered for a large table in the back. Taking a seat, they were only there for a minute or two when James and Lily entered, followed closely by Remus and his date, Michella Tomison.

After they all took a seat, Madam Rosmerta came over and took their order for drinks. While they were waiting, Remus took the time to introduce Michella to Amaya. Everyone else knew her briefly from attending school with her for the past 6 years.

"Nice to meet you." Amaya said politely, a little wary of the girl her cousin had chosen as a date. Not that she doubted the girl was nice, but she hadn't quite accepted the fact that Remus dated yet.

Michella was pretty, though, and it turned out that she had quite the sense of humour, as throughout the little meeting she was constantly joking with all the marauders and laughing at every joke they said. Amaya found herself liking the girl more and more as their visit lingered on, and by the time it was time to go back to school, she was very happy at Remus' choice in the girl.

--They all walked to the carriages together and chose to squeeze into one, opposed to one of the couples taking a separate one. They all were laughing and joking about various aspects of their trip.

Not a one noticed the jealous stares of a little rat from the carriage in front of them.


End file.
